ISLAMABAD: The opposition parties, which are divided over bringing the Awami Muslim League (AML) chief as a candidate for the prime ministership, have called a meeting today (Monday) to bring a consensus opposition candidate against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.
Major opposition parties, including the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Awami National Party (ANP) and Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) of Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, have expressed surprise on the nomination of Sheikh Rashid by Imran Khan, saying that they were not taken into confidence before announcing the candidate.
Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah has convened a meeting of the parliamentary leaders of opposition parties for bringing a consensus candidate of the opposition.
Talking to media persons on Sunday, Khursheed Shah said the meeting has been convened to bring a consensus candidate against the PML-N candidate. However, when asked about the PTI’s nomination of Sheikh Rashid, the opposition leader said it was not proper for the PTI to announce his candidate before the opposition meeting. “Whosoever is the candidate from the opposition, he should come with consensus,” he said.
While in a separate press talk, Senator Zahid Khan said the ANP was not taken into confidence on the nomination of Sheikh Rashid Ahmad as the opposition candidate. “We will support only a consensus candidate of the opposition and if no consensus was reached, then the ANP will not be part of the election,” he said.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari arrived in Islamabad on Sunday and held a meeting to discuss the current political situation and directed Khursheed Shah to create a consensus among the opposition parties to field a joint candidate to contest the election of the prime minister.
The meeting was attended by Khursheed Shah, Opposition Leader in the Senate Aitzaz Ahsan, PPP Secretary General Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari, Senator Farhatullah Babar, former prime minister Raja Parvaiz Ashraf, Sardar Latif Khosa and other leaders.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Rashid acquired nomination papers from the National Assembly Secretariat. Talking to media persons, Sheikh Rashid said he looks forward to the decision of the opposition parties for fielding a joint candidate.
The Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q) leadership has also accelerated efforts for nomination of a unanimous candidate from the opposition for the office of the prime minister. The PML-Q president and former prime minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and senior central leader and former deputy prime minister Chaudhry Parvaiz Elahi have contacted different political leaders during which they agreed in principle for putting up a unanimous candidate of the opposition.
Chaudhry Shujaat and Parvaiz Elahi held telephonic conversation with Khursheed Shah, Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Senator Sirajul Haq and Sheikh Rashid during which they exchanged views in detail about the prevailing political situation and it was agreed that for the office of the prime minister the nomination of a unanimous candidate of the opposition against the N-League’s candidate was essential.
